Supporting Secretariat in Sweden

Japan and Sweden will celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations in 2018. The general setup is that Sweden will be responsible for events and projects about Sweden in Japan. Similarly, Japan will be responsible for events and projects about Japan in Sweden.

The ministries of foreign affairs respectively and the embassies of each country will assume overall coordination responsibility for the celebrations. While focus is on the diplomatic and official relations, also other parts of society will be involved representing a wide range of activities such as culture, sports, politics and politicians, economy and society, science and business.

The Embassy of Japan to Sweden has invited a number of organizations and bodies to support and take part in the celebrations and has initiated a Supporting Secretariat for the events and projects which will take place in Sweden during 2018.

The purpose of the Supporting Secretariat is to:

Spread information about the anniversary via a homepage (swedenjapan2018.se)

Arrange meetings for the exchange of information between organizers of celebration activities and projects

Encourage organizations and individuals to take part in the celebrations by organizing events and projects in Sweden during 2018

H.E. Ambassador Jun Yamazaki has asked Mr. Edvard Fleetwood of the Sweden-Japan Foundation to be the Secretary General of the Secretariat and to chair the meetings of the group of supporting organizations.

To contact the secretariat, please email: info@swedenjapan.se

Supporting members of the secretariat

Sweden-Japan Foundation

The Sweden-Japan Foundation was established in 1971 with the purpose of promoting relations between Sweden and Japan. Its work includes information about Japan in Sweden, scholarships for studies in Japan, and technical expert seminars.

Japan Businessmen's Club

JBC has about 50 members mainly consisting of 16 Japanese companies in Sweden. They periodically meet in occasions such as general meetings (4 times per year) and other events to discuss issues of common interest and support each other to make member’s life and business in Sweden better and easier.

The Japanese Associations in Sweden

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) - Stockholm Office

Founded in 2001, JSPS Stockholm serves as one of ten overseas offices worldwide. The Stockholm Office aims to create and develop successful relationships between academic researchers of Sweden and the other Nordic and Baltic countries and Japan through a wide range of activities.

Honorary Consuls-General in Göteborg and Malmö

Sweden-Japan Society

The Sweden-Japan Society was established in 1919. The society promotes friendly relations between Sweden and Japan by organizing and disseminating information about meetings concerning Japan. Cultural events are often carried out in cooperation with the Japanese Embassy, The museum of East Asian Antiquities, the Etnographical museum and Sweden-Japan Foundation.

Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

JETRO carries out market analysis in many countries, e g Sweden and assists Japanese companies in contact making and visiting programs. It also acts as informer to Swedish companies needing information about Japanese business, and helps them to get established on the Japanese market. Furthermore, it promotes investments in and exports to Japan.

Project 2018

Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation

The Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation (SJSF) provides grants and scholarships to organizations and individuals in the Nordic countries and Japan. The SJSF has already given support to several projects which are part of the celebrations during 2018 in Japan as well as in Sweden.